That was before he became a Catholic.
“I remember seeing movies about it.”
It was … important to me to change that," Freeman said.
Although raised as a Christian, Freeman was not a Catholic when he arrived at the campus in 2021.
The team chaplain, Father Nate Wills, helped prepare Freeman for his Catholic conversion.
“It’s not only in Catholicism.
It’s the reality of you having a faith and a belief in something bigger than yourself.”
I didnt grow up a Notre Dame fan.
Notre Dame and Holy Cross to name a few.
(Shout out Gordie Lockbaum)
I never had anything against Notre Dame.
They were neither here nor there.
Then I went to college in Chicago, which is basically South Bend West.
I discovered the real mania of Notre Dame fandom.
And look, its not as if were getting an influx of dime co-eds from Ol Miss.
(Ill be nice and leave it at that.)
Chicagos crawling with ND alumni, each prouder than the last.
Youd think there was a competition for who can mention they went to Notre Dame first.
(Reminds me of that old joke: How do you know if someone went to Notre Dame?
Dont worry, theyll tell you within five minutes.)
Or just spot their college ringsyes, grown adults wearing chunky school rings like its high school homecoming.
But that’s fine.
School pride is a good thing.
Not exactly gasp and drop your latte stunning, but nice.
It’s just like Rudy’s dad said.
It hits you right in the plums the way very few places games are played can do.
The tradition oozes from the bleachers.
This is the baffling part.
Why do people who didnt go to Notre Dame or werent raised to be Irish fans downright hate them?
Its not like theyre the Patriots or Chiefs, rolling in rings and fresh bandwagoners every year.
Theyre not Alabama, either- theres no Saban-like villain here.
Notre Dame hasnt hoisted anything significant in 30 or 40 years, so what gives?
People hated the Patriots because they won everything.
Theyre not exactly swimming in national titles lately.
I think its much more than that.
Back when Brian Kelly was there, it made total sense.
Suddenly, the Irish have a head coach who not only looks the part but lives it.
Hes all the ideals Notre Dame claims to stand for, and hes actually guiding the program forward.
A true leader of men.
A family man who embodies his (newly found) faith.
And who talks the talk and walks the walk.
And is one of the most refreshing voices in sports.
So then, why the extreme hatred?
Maybe its the tradition?
Like a well-worn prayer book that the faithful cling to despite the pages being ripped and dog-eared.
Maybe its the steadfast belief that any year now, the Irish will return to the promised land.
Or maybe, just maybe, God simply has a sense of humor.
Theyre consistently relevant- even when theyre not.
Theyre on TV every week.
They inspire strong emotions.
And every few years, they trick us into thinking they might be back.
For some higher powers, that cycle of hope might be irresistible.
Maybe its their unwavering faith and tradition thats so appealing to the divine.
The guy is impossible not to root for.
Even Jesus seems to be back on the bandwagon now that the HC is back on his.
